Mincing words

Thanks for all your patience and kind words, folks. I anticipate being off my crutches and gimp-free in another two or three days. And Og, thanks for the tips on refurbishing my sword cane. I plan on giving that a go some time next weekend.

At any rate, this post is not about anything earth shattering, nothing too deep, just a pet peeve. I have always had a major bone to pick with people and groups that won't say what they mean. It goes along the same lines as my distaste for passive-aggressiveness.

There are always exceptions. But in my mind, only two exceptions are good ones: romance, and respect. If you're head over heels for someone you're just getting to know or deeply in love with someone you're already in a relationship with, sometimes you just can't help but dance around a subject. Maybe it's because you're fumbling for just the right words, or maybe it's because you're trying to be careful not to hurt their feelings. As for respect, I don't think I'd ever refer to my obese friend as "obese" to another person. Instead, seriously, I might refer to that friend as "hefty," or "portly," or "stout," even. One of those words would make it clear that my friend was big. And I would never refer to an elderly person as "elderly" or "old" in the presence of another older person who was sensitive about his/her age. Instead, I might refer to them as "mature." person.

But that's it. No more exceptions. When I hear a car dealer at a used lot refer to a vehicle as "pre-owned," or "gently pre-owned," it pisses me off.

So you might understand why the sign below irritated me at the grocery store over the weekend. I was already annoyed, because my ankle was hurting. But as I hobbled along dutifully with Mrs. B, she stopped to get some protein. I guess pregnant women aren't supposed to eat deli meats, 'cause of a possible bacteria that can negatively affect them. So she was looking at the meat free stuff, and this sign was mounted above that section:

And these products were on the shelf:

???????

Did I miss something? When did tofu become an "alternative meat?" An alternative to meat, I get. Meat grows on bones. Meat grows on things that run and walk and swim and fly - the distinctions between red meat, poultry, and fish, notwithstanding.

I have no beef - ha ha, no pun intended - with tofu and other alternatives. Different strokes. But I just can't stand the dancing around. Just call it what it is: a meat alternative.

I like this particular grocery store chain. They sell good, healthy stuff. But they plucked a nerve with that stupid sign. I swear it goes back to folks these days being hyper-sensitive about everyone else's feelings. There has to be a balance between good sense and overkill.

And anything that ends in "urkey" but is proceeded by "tof" does not belong on a shelf under a sign advertising meats.